Heavy snowfall shuts Mount Washington ski resort

When Sheila Rivers arrived at work at Mount Washington Alpine Resort Sunday morning, she found members of a Scouts Canada troop sleeping on the lodge floor.

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The Vancouver Island ski resort received more than 100 centimetres of snow in 24 hours, forcing the resort and access roads to close due to dangerous conditions.

It is the first time in almost two decades the resort has closed because of too much snow. The last closure was in 1999 and lasted three days.

"There is a lot of snow that we have to dig, as well as our avalanche danger at the resort right now means that we cannot open safely for our guests," said Rivers, the resort's marketing manager.

Rivers said a lot of people were stranded overnight because of the roads, including the 20 Scouts Canada members who enjoyed a nacho party with staff at 2:30 a.m. and about a dozen others who also took shelter overnight in the resort lodge.

But according to Rivers, spirits are high and several guests are pitching in to help dig out cars.

There have been no injuries and the resort is expected to reopen tomorrow.

Other B.C. ski resorts are also restricting activities because of weekend weather conditions.

Grouse Mountain Regional Park on Vancouver's North Shore cancelled all mountaintop activities Sunday due to high winds. 

Whistler Blackcomb also closed the resort's alpine lifts and all terrain parks due to strong winds and heavy snowfall.

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